Problem
Infestation by head louse
Other Names:
Children's head-liceNits
Nature:
Given the right conditions of warm weather, lack of health education in schools and careless parents, one louse can travel around five heads in a day. The female headlouse Pediculus capitis lays 250 eggs in its lifetime (a few weeks), sucks its own weight in blood every 24 hours, and mates 32 times a night. The offspring have a 60% survival rate. Optimum fertility depends on a regular intake of female hormone, so lice are rarely found on post-adolescent males. The saliva of the louse is an anti-coagulant and commonly setting up an allergic reaction, causing the peron to feel "lousy". Over a long period, children with head louse infestation become anaemic and have difficulty concentrating -- they become "nitwits". Long-term lice infestation also brings constant scratching, which weakens the normal defences of the skin leading to acute and contagious skin diseases, such as impetigo, which are liable to cause serious scarring if not recognized and treated in time.
Broader Problems:
PediculosisChildren's diseasesDisorders of the head Related Problems:
Louse resistance to insecticides Aggravates:
Impetigo Values:
Infestation Subject(s):
Invertebrates → InsectsMedicine → Locomotive, integumentary system
Societal Problems → Pests
Society → Infants
Related UN Sustainable Development Goals:
Problem Type:
E: Emanations of other problems Date of last update
06.05.2019 – 20:52 CEST